Tablet post so spelling, punctuation and spacing may be off.

At 18 just out of Secondary School (high school) I wasnt interested with my career, but I got a better than most 18 year old job working for the goverment as a process assistant. I didnt care much for work, and I did the bare minimum to get by.

At 22 I broke up from my boyfriend of 4 years and I realised that I wanted success of my own. I started working hard over night. Everything voluntary, over and above my job I volunteered to do. I attended every additional meeting, event and kissed ass for 4 years and it worked because at 26 I got promoted off the bottom level to the first tier of management. It was a great success and even now I look back at the feeling of achievement fondly.

At 26 I set about learning my new job inside and out. Within a year I knew my own duties like the back of my hand and even better than others around me.

I looked at my boss, a man and realised there was nothing about his job that I could not do. I worked my ass off and at 29 I got an interview for that very job, but I didnt get it. I lost out to a man, but in hindsight without the upset of losing out fresh in my mind; I believe that he was the better candidate having worked closely with him for 3 years. Plus he was a great guy.

Now the goverment department was 60/40 men/women but at the very top was a woman so I can’t blame any glass ceilings.

A year later at 30. I was annoyed with the lack of promotion oppertunities in my current workplace and because here in the UK I was a civil servant I found that I could apply for any post in other goverment departments even across speciality. So every oppertunity there was I applied for and I eventually got that job In another goverment department.

I moved to a newer larger building from 250 staff in the whole building to 2000 in the whole building. I was at a major processing section for the UK goverment. What I was pleasantly surprised by was the management team was filled with women. The male female split in this whole office was 30/70 men/women. The top 2 were women and the next 4 under them were 3 women and a man (I was the level just under).

Now the reality. I thought working with a female majority was great for my career, but the truth is? Its awful. I would bite your hand off right now for more men in the managerial chain. It pains me to say that as someone who would identify herself as a feminist.

Whats so horrible about it? Remember high school? Popularity? Bitching? Amply that by 10 and you realise how bad it is. I am 34 and I have been working in my current role for almost 5 years and it is the worst environment I have ever worked in? Professional attitudes dont exist. Its like a popularity contest, hard work and effort means nothing. The infighting and drama from midlevel management is disgusting, but what pains me the most? The few men in the management chain? None of them get involved, but I do not have that luxury because I am a woman I am dragged into this 15 year old popularity contest kicking and screaming.

I have heard underhanded comments about how I dress, how I speak, the way I walk. Everything. Its a bullying culture and at 34, as a career driven independent woman I have been brought to tears by the vile comments bullying that goes on in my work, not by men but by women. Its not unique to me, its all women who work in management who find themself outside the popular group.

Thats my rant over. Any encouraging comments/messages would be great. Similar stories etc. Thanks.

http://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXChromosomes/comments/2q612n/women_in_the_work_place_venting/

Just the other day I was listening to our admin support department(an entirely female team managed by a man – the poor bastard) all talking about why they would be a fantastic supervisor in his place. Not one of them could name good points about themselves that would  qualify them for the role. They spent the entire time belittling each other and coming up with reasons why everyone else would be terrible at it, followed up by the awful decisions they would make upon promotion.

If I have a break or some slowdown time, I don’t spend it on an iphone or bashing my fellow employees. I either try to find something constructive to do or maybe discuss interesting things.

I looked her up, found she’s educated in botany at Berkley CA, (Bazerkley) her website was a “look at me” look how great I am! Aren’t I so smart, and pretty too!

I emailed her a nice letter informing her that the product was different, the PH reading was almost 2 points off and to please advise. No response, DEAD. I disposed the inferior product.

So having my suspensions that she mixed methel-red with-bromthymol blue for a wider PH range. Guess what? I’m going to try to duplicate her solution, or come up with my own.

She lost a customer, and gained competition through her lack of astute business obligations.

She went to Berkley, I went to reality, who’s education is better? or is it that I’m a Man, and she’s a woman? or I’m an educated idiot, she’s an educated asshole.